Dizziness vs. Senses

Broad Question

What can you do to become less dizzy after spinning?

Specific Question

Does having your eyes open, closed, wearing ear plugs, or wearing ear plugs with your eyes closed, make you more or less dizzy after spinning?

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Variables:

Independent Variable:

Senses Used

Dependent Variable:

Time Eyes Twitch (sec)

Variables That Need to be Controlled:

1. Time for spinner to spin
2. Which way they spin
3. Time for each spinner to rest
4. All spinner standing while twitching

Hypothesis

I hypothesize that having your eyes closed and while wearing ear plugs will make you less dizzy, followed by eyes closed, ear plugs only, and eyes open.

Graph of Hypothesis

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General Plan

Experimental Design

I will conduct my experiment at lunch time in the library. There will be four people helping me with my experiment. They will all be my test subjects. They will spin for thirty seconds each so that I can record my data. I will conduct forty trials in order to collect enough data to make a reliable conclusion. I could record my data in either a printed out spreadsheet or one on the computer. I think I will choose recording it on the computer. While doing this, I will photograph the process will my digital camera. I will then email the pictures to my teacher so that I can access them at school. I will upload them to my Wiki, as well as print some out for my display board.

Materials List

1. Spreadsheet on the computer
2. 10 people to test
3. Timer
4. Ear plugs
5. Room to test in


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Detailed Procedure

1. Gather all materials and go to the room where you’re experimenting.
2. Have the first volunteer take off shoes.
3. Have the first person spin for thirty seconds with eyes open and no ear plugs.
4. Have the first person stand still while you use your timer to time how long their eyes twitch.
5. Record this data into your spreadsheet
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with each of the other volunteers.
7. After the rest of the volunteers have gone, have the first person repeat step 3-5. This time have their eyes closed.
8. Repeat step seven with each of the other volunteers.
9. After the rest of the volunteers have gone, have the first person repeat step 3-5. This time have their eyes open with ear plugs.
10. Repeat step nine with each of the other volunteers.
11. After the rest of the volunteers have gone, have the first person repeat step 3-5. This time, they will have their eyes closed with ear plugs.
12. During this process, take a few pictures to record the process.

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Background Research

Inner ear affects balance and dizziness. Eyes are connected to the brain in order to see your suroundings.

Vertigo is a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement. You may feel as though you are spinning, whirling, falling, or tilting. When you have severe vertigo, you may feel very nauseated or vomit. You may have trouble walking or standing, and you may lose your balance and fall.

Vision gives you information about your position and motion in relationship to the rest of the world. This is an important part of the balance mechanism and often overrides from the other balance-sensing systems.


The semi-circular canals are three tiny circular tubes at right angles to each other which contain fluid and can sense when that fluid is moving in each of the three dimensions that make up our 3D space.


Inside each fluid-filled semicircular canal is a sensory receptor (cupula) attached at its base. With head movement in the direction in which this canal is located, the endolymphatic fluid within the canal, because of inertia, lags behind. When this fluid lags behind, the sensory receptor within that canal is bent. The receptor then sends false impulses to the brain about movement.

The inner ear or labyrinth is a complex series of passageways and chambers within the bony skull. Within these passageways are tubes and sacs filled with a fluid called endolymph. Around the outside of the tubes and sacs is a different fluid—the perilymph. Both of these fluids are of precise chemical compositions, and they are different. The mechanism in your inner ear that regulates the amount and composition of these fluids is important to the proper functioning of your inner ear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear

References

"Semi-Circular Canal." http://www.nchearingloss.org/semicirc.htm?fromncshhh. Web. 1 Jan.

"Sensory Input." Vestibular Disorders Association. 14 June 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/balance/sensory-input.php>.

Walker, Richard. Guide to the Human Body. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley Publishing Inc. , 2001. Print.

WebMD. 2005. Web. 1 Jan. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/dizziness-lightheadedness-and-vertigo-topic-overview>.

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Results

Data Table

Graphs

Photos

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Data Analysis

Conclusion

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not certain senses would affect how dizzy a person become after spinning. The results of the experiment were that having eyes closed seemed to help make a person less dizzy with and without the earplugs, compared to having eyes open with and without earplugs. The average time of eye twitching for eyes closed and with earplugs was 15.3 seconds. Having only eyes closed, the average was 19.2 seconds. Earplugs in and eyes open only took 20.2 seconds, followed by eyes open with 20.6 seconds.

Discussion

My hypothesis was: I hypothesize that having eyes closed while wearing ear plugs will make you less dizzy, followed by eyes closed, ear plugs only, and eyes open. My results do support my hypothesis. There is a relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Some patterns and trends that my data shows was that with eyes closed, with and without earplugs, made it so people being tested were less dizzy after spinning compared to having their eyes open, with and without earplugs. I think the tests I did went smoothly with minor problems. The only problems I really had were that one of my volunteers kept running into people or tables and would fall on the ground every once in awhile. We decided to spread out the tables and make sure nobody was around when we did the experiment. If I could improve my experiment, I would make sure my volunteers took the tests more seriously. An interesting future study might involve understanding why people get dizzy or maybe seeing which fair rides make you more dizzy.

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